Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder, or Our Lord in the Attic, is such a unique place to visit. "Hidden" in a 17th-century canal house, you can climb the stairs to the top floors to discover a house church as part of this museum. The Catholic church was built on the top three floors of the canal house during the 1660s. It is an example of a "schuilkerk", or "clandestine church." Since Catholics who rejected the Dutch Reformed Church were unable to worship in public, these hidden churches were often found on the top floors of canal houses. The canal house was built in 1630. Between 1661 and 1663 the top three floors of the house were transformed into a house church. The church is small, but beautiful. After the Church of St Nicholas was opened, the house church no longer needed to be used as a church. On April 28, 1888, it opened its doors to the public as a museum. It is the second-oldest museum in Amsterdam, after the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam. Definitely put this one on your list of museums to visit in Amsterdam. On the way up to the church, you can visit the front room, the between room, the hall, the Jaap Leeuwenberg Hall, and the 17th-century kitchen. It is on I Amsterdam Card. Such a unique experience. read more

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The name of this museum translates to "Our Lord in the Attic" and the attic in this museum is a remarkable example of a "clandestine church" dating to the 1660s. When the Dutch Reformed Church was made the official church of the Netherlands in the 1660s, Catholics, Jews, and other religious "dissenters" had to practice their religions in private. Rather than being given religious freedom, they were given something more akin to religious tolerance. Catholic "attic churches" were created to serve their communities, and this museum is the best preserved example of one. The audio guide does a great job of explaining the history of the church and the family that housed it. The house, built in 1630, is in excellent condition and provides an informative window into Amsterdam of long ago. If you have time to stop by for an hour or so, this is worth the visit. read more

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This is a really interesting museum and is well worth a visit. It takes great vision to build a church upstairs in your house!

This canal house houses a secret Catholic Church in the attic which was being used during a time when Catholicism was banned in the Netherlands. The visit will cost you €16,95. It is worth it and the audio guide is very educational. I highly recommend this museum, it was my favorite museum that we visited while in Amsterdam. read more

I have a year-long pass (museumkaart) that gives me unlimited visits to many museums across The Netherlands. Because it was free I thought "why not"? It turned out to be a very unique and interesting museum. You get to see rooms and furnishings from different periods in an historical canal house PLUS a hidden church in the attic where Catholic worshippers would go to practice their religion at a time when Protestants ruled The Netherlands and it was forbidden to practice other religions. Secret churches such as this one however were tolerated as long as it was out of sight, especially since the owner was a wealthy merchant. read more

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One of the most interesting museums in the area. You get to see an old historical church that was hidden inside a canal home and learn about how people had to hide their religion from mainstream society. It's a lot larger than I thought it would be. Definitely see this if you are interested in history. read more

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This spot is great for a visit. It takes about 45 minutes. You have a device for a guided audio tour where you scan a box each time you enter the room. It's very educational and a unique experience. The staff members were extremely friendly as well. read more

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This is such a great museum, a hidden gem. The staff were so friendly and accommodating, especially as I wear hearing aids and can't really hear the audio, they went out of their way to provide me with reading materials instead which really helped. There are lockers to put your bags in as there are lots of small awkward steps to climb throughout and as you explore you will see very grand 17th century living quarters, a kitchen with the typical Dutch delft designs which I love and of course the highlight was the secret church in the attic! This was created when the right of Catholics to worship in public was taken away which was crazy to me but the church in the attic with its stunningly beautiful alter and organ that can also be viewed and admired from an upper level and was so eye catching and great to learn that mass is still held here. The gift shop had a lot of delft items to buy and other interesting pieces but all in all such a great experience and absolutely worth a visit! read more

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"Our Lord in the Attic" Museum. I think I found out about this from Rick Steve's tourbook. I'm not usually into churches, but found this quite fascinating. To give a poor summary, back in the beginning (?) of Amsterdam, only certain religions could be practiced. However in your own home, you could practice whatever you wanted. Therefore, it led to these private churches within peoples' homes - this being one of them, and one of the only that has survived. It's very cool seeing this church within a home. It literally was someone's home too - it was neat seeing their kitchen, beds, etc. If you're into history, you will truly enjoy this museum. It's quick pretty quick to walk through too, you'll be finished in less than 1 hour. read more

We stumbled upon this museum in our guidebook and we're so glad we decided to go! It was such a unique experience to see such an old and unique property from Amsterdam's history. Highly recommend. read more

Great and extremely unique museum that capture a fascinating part of Amsterdam's religious history. Light crowds in the day we visited (Friday afternoon) and the audio guide is very good read more

During the 15th and 16th centuries, the area that is associated with the Low Countries (aka The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg) was under control of Spain. The northern half of the region (which constitutes present-day Netherlands) had a significant minority practicing Calvinism (a form of Protestantism) and were increasingly distressed by the many grievances against them by an increasingly fervent Catholic Spain. As a result the 80 Years War took place with the end result leading to the formation of the new Dutch Republic. The newly-formed government enacted measures that ensured that Calvinism would become the predominant religion of the country. Presumably as retribution for the anti-Protestant measures passed in Spain the government made practicing Catholicism illegal but in reality turned a blind eye as long as the religion was not practiced openly. Hence the concept of "schuilkerk" - the clandestine church. Jan Hartman was a wealthy merchant. He used his wealth to purchase a house on Oudezijds Voorburgwal and two adjoining properties. He immediately began extension work on the property. His magnum opus was to combine the attics of the three houses and turn it into a schuilkerk that allowed 150 Catholics to worship in secret. At some point Catholics were eventually allowed to worship freely, cumulating with the completion of the Saint Nicholas Church. This made the attic church now obsolete. A few years later the church was converted into a museum, which is now the second oldest museum in Amsterdam after the Rijksmuseum. LOGISTICS - Open almost every day with the exception of King's Day. - Hours: Mon-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 1-6pm. - Cost: €12.50 (includes audioguide). - As is the case with many Amsterdam canal houses, while the entrance to the museum is accessible the house and church are not suited for wheelchair users or people with mobility issues. The visit can be divided up into 3 different regions of the house. 1. Front house. The most prominent feature is the "sael" (grand parlor), where Hartman would receive guests. Taking up two floors, the most noticeable feature about the room is the emphasis on symmetry in form and decoration. This room was also decorated in such a way to emphasize his status as a successful businessman. 2. The church in the attic. The entire museum is named after this particular feature. Notable features include the altarpiece painting ("Baptism of Jesus" by Jacob de Wit), a hidden pulpit, an altar to the Virgin Mary in the back and the views of the church as well as the outside from the two balconies. 3. Back house. This contained the living quarters of the resident priest at the time, Petrus Parmentier. While Hartman owned the building he allowed the priest to live there as long as he pleased. When Hartman died he left behind a lot of debt and the family was forced to sell the house so the priest was then left to find accommodations elsewhere. *** One of my favorite parts about visiting Amsterdam was exploring the canal houses. Since canal houses are much longer than they are wide the houses have unique features that are particularly suited for clandestine functions. While the most famous example is Anne Frank's house, this is another example of such a house with a need to conduct business in secret. If you love exploring the various nooks and crannies of the Anne Frank House you'll certainly love exploring this house as well. It's also a great alternative if you want to visit a canal house with an attached back house (achterhuis) but don't want to go through the hassle of securing a ticket for the Anne Frank House. Due to its purpose as a clandestine church it's one of the more unique church/museum experiences I had in Europe. I had a lot of fun here and learned a lot more about the role of tolerance as it pertained to religion in Amsterdam. I highly recommend going here if you can. read more

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If you're a tourist, it's probably best to map your way to the church ahead of time, as it can be a bit of a challenge to find. That being said, you'll find yourself wandering through the red light district, so it's not exactly a boring walk. Once you've found the place, you're in for a treat. Head in, pay your fee (or flash your Museumkaart), pick up your audio guide, and head upstairs. The church was built in one of the beautiful old canal houses, so you will have some steep stairs to climb. The chapel itself was redone in the past couple years, and has been repainted to match the purple (mauve) hue it apparently was originally. Can't say I'm a huge fan of the color, but hey - it's historic. The chapel is, of course, small, so you shouldn't need to budget more than an hour for your visit - but do add this to your list. It's a wonderful place, and it's interesting to learn a bit more about the Catholic plight in Amsterdam during the 1600s. I don't usually spend much time or money in gift shops, but this one had a few great little things. Some beautiful post cards and a fantastic journal - both were very reasonably priced. Staff were helpful - so tear yourself away from the Rijksmuseum (or the coffeeshops) for an afternoon and spend some time in the chapel! read more

Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder - Chapel from above - contraband photo! - Museums Near Me - Amsterdam, New Hampshire

Nice museum where you can walk through 3 old Amsterdam houses and figure out how people lived in middle age. There is a awesome surprise and truly history of this museum you will find on the top - hidden church. There you can listen construction history of this church. After visiting museum you can taste nice coffee and enjoy nice view on the city. May be this museum is not so famous as some another in Amsterdam, but we didn't regret that visited this museum. read more

Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder - Museums Near Me - Amsterdam, New Hampshire

I'm not one that's typically very keen on museums or anything, but I have to say, I really liked this one. After I visited Begijnhof and learned about hidden churches, I realized that they were really cool and decided to check out Our Lord in the Attic. I had a bit of trouble finding it because I walked right past it. They're currently in a construction process trying to build a connecting building between the main church and the one across it. Having learned about the difficulties of construction in Amsterdam, it's kind of cool to see the swamp below and what kind of land constructors in the area have to work with. They have a student discount and even though I couldn't find my student card at first, they guy was nice enough to let me in anyways. Score. Anyways they have the audio devices that you point at various lights that then play and tell you about the room or place that you're in. It really is a hidden church. From the outside, you would just expect to see another typical Dutch home, but the inside is huge. They show you the living room and bedrooms and obviously the main feature is the church. Lots of information--took me about an hour to get through everything. Good knowledge and they've done a superb job with the refurbishing and renovations. tldr; absolutely worth seeing if you're in Amsterdam and interested in learning more about the hidden churches read more

Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder - Museums Near Me - Amsterdam, New Hampshire

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I enjoyed this place. You get a headset and can go at your own pace. This place is very special and worth the 12.5 Euros entry fee. You need to be able to do stairs. There are a few and no other way to get up. They have a small gift shop but some quality items. Staff was very friendly. We spent about two hours here. Highly recommend you make time for this stop. read more

Ons Lieve Heer op Solder (Our Lord in the Attic) is a small but fascinating museum located near the Red Light District in Amsterdam. Currently the museum is going through a restoration process, but this doesn't hamper the experience. There are audio guides available at the museum that provide information in various parts about the history of the house, family, and the Catholic Church. The main part to see in the house is the Catholic Church that was built on the top 3 floors of the canal house. The Church was hidden from the public due to Catholics not being able to worship publically due to Dutch laws. Besides the Church, the rest of the museum is the former canal house that shows you what it was like to live in the 1600s in Amsterdam. Remember to save your ticket receipt because this can give you a combideal for 3 euros off at a couple other unique museums in Amsterdam: Amsterdam Museum, Cromhouthuizen - Bijbels Museum,Geelvinck Hinlopen Huis or Museum Willet-Holthuysen. I wasn't aware of this at the time and wish I would have known. read more

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As a Catholic, I wanted to check out this hidden church where Catholics were forced to discreetly worship hundreds of years ago. Entrance fee was 6 euros each, although my guidebook said 7. The main church area and altar are undergoing a major renovation - - maybe that's why it was less? But it was pretty interesting to visit, and right next to the Red Light district. Like a typical Dutch canal home, you walk up several small and twisty staircases. All the while, you are looking at various artifacts or objects from the history of this "Our Lord in the Attic" church. read more

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My favorite museum in Amsterdam in terms of the awe factor of not even knowing about it until I came here! There is something about the history of serving as a place where Catholics could gather and worship in secret during the Protestant years. It is the only one left to my understanding and yes you need to heed the advice of others that the building has very narrow steep staircases. I was running late and only had 30 minutes to blitz through the building so I can go all the way up to the church. Wow, it was so beautiful. You can look out from the attic and get an idea of peoples view at the time and they even explained the pulley system on how things were bought upstairs! This is what make some museums great, this to me was truly a unique experience. This is a top 3 in Amsterdam in my books (I love Amsterdam!!) read more

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I'm not a fan of museums per se, i'm bored to death in usually 7 minutes, but i love the idea of them and educating the people. But when i read about this place, i knew i had to visit. A hidden church, in an ATTIC! Heck yeas! We made our way right after lunch on a Monday, it has a cute hidden door and a verify friendly docent to check you in an take your tickets! (make sure find a deal through something online, the holland card, the i am amsterdam card... something... ) They ask your language and give you the appropriate listening device for your trip. The first listening area was cute, and as long as you aren't on top of the group in front of you, you can look around a bit and see things while the fella talks. (FYI - in the english version, it's kinda hard to tell when he is done talking... he takes big breathing breaks!) From there the option is to follow the sign to the right, that is a neat room but also a dead end. Return to where you started and go left, again a dead end. Return to where you started and go up the stairs! There are many places to listen, see and learn! I loved it and took a ton of pictures! Be aware, when you are done with the church part, you return to the mary in the back area, and go down the stairs for more. We lost half our group when they were waiting for us in the church. The gift shop is small but cute. Check everything out - it's worth the ticket price! The museum is currently going under some resoration so it can be loud depending on what parts are being worked on right now. read more

If I could give them 6 stars, I would ... this tour was exceptional. We spent 75 minutes going through the buildings. The audio tour gave a great overview of what occurred 400 hundred years ago. The message was appreciation of history and tolerance. Go back in time and be amazed. This was recently renovated to better display the artifacts. Wow. read more

Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder - Museums Near Me - Amsterdam, New Hampshire

Certainly my favorite church in Amsterdam and one of my all time favorites - if simply for the element of surprise. Built when it was illegal to publicly worship as Catholics, this "hidden church" is a testament to people's beliefs. It's lovely, even by "hidden" standards - and well worth a visit. Give yourself at least an hour for a bare-bones visit, two if you want to take your time. There is going to be a new visitor center there soon that you will really enjoy and will enhance the learning experience even more. The various guides are also really helpful. Talk to them; they're bored and would love to chat with you :-) read more

This was a very interesting find in our weekend visit to Amsterdam. To find a fully fitted out covert mini Catholic Church within a residential house was amazing and the museum has managed to protect and show off the artefacts wonderfully. A very impressive museum with a really good audio guide that supports and provides great information to the visitor. read more

This church tells a GREAT story of religion in Amsterdam. Be sure to use their audio guide. We spent about one hour going through. This was a 5 star museum. If you have the MuseumKaart, it will give you free admission. The museum is absolutely awesome, gives you a thorough understanding of how Catholics had to secretly practice their church services in Amsterdam 400 years ago. Recommend that anyone interested in history and/or religion visit this museum. read more

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This museum makes my top five list of places visited in Amsterdam. It is a very interesting museum and is definitely worth visiting even though it is currently being renovated. They have done a very good job to ensure the visitor still has a great experience while they update and enlarge the museum. You can easily see this museum and the De Oude Kerk around the corner at the same time. Both are in the red light district of Amsterdam, which just happens to be the historic area. This museum not only allows you to view the inside of a typical canal house, but also gives you a taste of history during the protestant reformation when Catholicism was illegal. The owner of this house built a secret catholic church in the attic. A very pink one to be exact! I don't usually take an audio guide, but for some reason I did here, and it is the first time I have actually listened 100% to the entire audio guide. This museum made a very interesting audio guide that is easy to listen and follow as you walk through the house. The experience would not be the same without the guide. The guide here is a must. The museum would not be that interesting without it. read more

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Very neat peace of catholic history, cool to see how much was hidden in such a small space. Worth your time. Get a museum pass though.

Very cool and different kind of museum! The typical old Amsterdam house that has a church in its attic, making it one of the few surviving buildings of its kind. You get a history of the city, its religious traditions and evolutions, and get to see what a house would've looked like centuries ago. A great refresher from visiting art museums! read more

After hearing about this museum from two of our other guided tours, we decided it would be a great place to check out. We arrived just before 2pm on a Tuesday in early May. There were a few others, but it wasn't too crowded. Your 10€ gets you admission to the museum and the audio guide. You can access the tolerance discussion and cafe on the upper floors of the building next door for free. There is free wifi. Starting in the basement of the house with the church, you pick up your player and they set it for your language. There is a short video about the history of Amsterdam that led to the creation of house churches, and a model of the building. Then you head upstairs, don your shoe covers, and start the tour of the house itself. In addition to seeing the church in the attic, you see the rest of the house, which is furnished as could be expected for the time period. There is a point to touch your player to get the audio guide in every room, and several have additional information about the family, the decor, or Catholic traditions. You walk up through the house, then to the church itself, through all the parts of the church, and then back into the house where the priest and spiritual daughters would've lived. There are good views of the canal, and even a video showing how the linen goods that built the wealth of the owner would've been hoisted into the house, so it's more than just a tour of a unique Catholic church. As you exit the house, they've got a lot more about where the other hidden churches were in the city, the glitzy artifacts that were used, and even an exposed part of the foundation. All in all, a great museum and experience! read more

A suprising museum hidden in a house on the canals in the middle of the red light district. It is lovely although due to renovations work not every room is open. I'll be back when it is ready. read more